Thinking of visiting Bangalore in December (country, safer, place, jobs)

[Trimac20]

I'll be attending my cousin's wedding in late November in Singapore, might spend a bit of time in Malaysia too to see some relatives, and thought that since airfares were so low and it's a great time to visit southern India, I might go for a 5 day jaunt to Bangalore, India. I know it's known as India's 'city of gardens', is one of the wealthiest cities per capita and 'India's silicon valley' but would you say it's worthwhile to visit for 5 days? Any nearby attractions I can visit without a high risk of malaria or dengue fever? Due to it's elevation and the season it seems malaria is a pretty remote risk in Bangalore in December so I won't bother taking any meds, just take the usual precautions.

It'll just be a 'taste' of India, before I plan to do an extensive tour of the country sometime in the future.

[asubram3]

I would say it's not worth staying in Bangalore for 5 days if it's your only time in India. Certainly it's wealthier (if you care for that), but rather boring in my opinion. It's mostly just a hub for IT jobs. The 'garden city' designation is partially true, also Bangalore is cooler in winter (but recent population increases have meant it's not as cool as it once was). I would say it depends on your interests as well. Do you want to go trekking (many places in the Western Ghats), see temples (Tamil Nadu state is good), go on a backwater cruise (Kerala), go to a beach (Kerala, Goa, etc.)? You could even combine two of these places. If you do decide on Bangalore, be sure to also visit Mysore, since it has nice palaces.

I don't know about Malaria, it's pretty rare unless it's the rainy season and you go into a mosquito-infested swamp or something. Dengue fever is more of a threat I guess.

[vanitycase]

Five days in Bangalore is a bit much if you don't have a local host to show you around - the city can be boring if you don't know someone. Also, put that whole "garden city" bs out of your mind. Bangalore's haphazard urban development and poor infrastructure has been playing havoc with the city's gardens, lakes and general health for a long time. I know some people who lived in Bangalore during the '70's and '80's, and THEN it was a true city of gardens (I have seen pictures!).

But I've been there for a wedding and toured the place with my hosts. And while I can tell you that Bangalore is a VERY wealthy city, it is not a beautiful one.

If you only have 5 days and want to get a taste of India in late November, you're actually going to get a chance to see New Delhi while the weather is cool. New Delhi is really, really hot and humid usually, but in November it will be cold. It has maintained a unique character. South Delhi is very posh and developed, and Old Delhi is a medieval walled city with businesses that have been around for many hundreds of years. There are some restaurants with cooks whose ancestors cooked for the Mughals there.

Delhi also has its hipster spots, like Hauz Khas Village, and lots of Indian couture shopping like at Santrushti. And there are street markets in colonial buildings at Connaught Place and tons and tons of history everywhere - tombs, palaces, forts, war memorials, etc all within the city.

It's also only a day's drive to the Taj Mahal in Agra.

So if you have only 5 days and you want to get a taste of India, go to Delhi. Much more bang for your buck, much more "postcard India" than Bangalore is.

[Trimac20]

Thanks for the advice. Yes Delhi alone would be way more interesting, but part of the reason I'm going is because Tiger Airways flies to Bangalore cheaply, but doesn't fly to any cities in North India, not even Kolkata. I want to save the north for when I have 3-4 weeks to go from Kolkata to Mumbai through Delhi. It also flies to several other Indian cities, but Bangalore doesn't seem too hectic and the climate will be comfortable there.

I think perhaps it might be worth extending it to 10 days and exploring more or Karnataka state. I will use Bangalore as a base, maybe stay there 5 nights, explore the cities and take several day trips. I was thinking Bannerghatta National Park an the Nandi Hills. Then I think I will take the train to Mysore, spend a couple of nights there and explore the historical sites, then go up to Hampi for another two nights. Do you think this will be doable in 10 days? Have you travelled much in that region? Any other sites you can recommend?

[karenew]

Do stop in Mysore and drive thru Chamundi Hills to Lalitha Mahal Palace. Don't forget to stop at Mysore Palace and St. Philomena's Church

In Bangalore see..
Lalbagh Botanical Gardens
Iskcon Temple Bangalore
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple

Those are a few places that I saw when I was there...

[vanitycase]

Originally Posted by Trimac20

Thanks for the advice. Yes Delhi alone would be way more interesting, but part of the reason I'm going is because Tiger Airways flies to Bangalore cheaply, but doesn't fly to any cities in North India, not even Kolkata. I want to save the north for when I have 3-4 weeks to go from Kolkata to Mumbai through Delhi. It also flies to several other Indian cities, but Bangalore doesn't seem too hectic and the climate will be comfortable there.

I think perhaps it might be worth extending it to 10 days and exploring more or Karnataka state. I will use Bangalore as a base, maybe stay there 5 nights, explore the cities and take several day trips. I was thinking Bannerghatta National Park an the Nandi Hills. Then I think I will take the train to Mysore, spend a couple of nights there and explore the historical sites, then go up to Hampi for another two nights. Do you think this will be doable in 10 days? Have you travelled much in that region? Any other sites you can recommend?

It is doable, though I would skip Bannerghatta Park because it's not well maintained and there is nothing to see.

For Hampi, you're going to need to take a train to Bellary (I think that's what the city is called) because it's the only major urban center near Hampi. Get a hotel there and ask the hotel to arrange for a car to take you to Hampi - much safer and less of a headache. And you will not want to drive all the way back to Bangalore after Hampi because I did that once and it killed me. The bad roads, the jerky driving, and the weather will all make you miserable.

So after you see Hampi, spend the night in Bellary and take the train to Bangalore. There are some things to see in Bellary too - there's a medieval fortress, some interesting local markets, a famous mining industry, etc.